This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 1st Grade Science content.

This resource accompanies our Rethink 1st Grade Science Ecosystems unit. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning.

This unit was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 1st Grade Science in Ecosystems.

In this introductory lesson, students learn about vocabulary such as recycle, reuse and conserve. In small cooperative groups, students are given a common object to first determine its possible uses and then to determine ways to use the waste of their object. Students record their ideas on a poster and share with their classmates. A culminating class project includes creating a Powerpoint presentation.

Students will explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction.

In this short video, join Emily and Emma from the Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh to take a look at some birds and learn about how we can observe all kinds of wildlife in our everyday lives.

Students explore how birds are affected by spilled oil and how rescuers help them in a hands-on simulation. An online poster showing the layers of life in the Gulf of Mexico is included for reference. Assessment questions are also included.

In this lesson, students will listen to a story about the importance of pollinator gardens in our community. They will discuss flowers that could be used in a pollinator garden and will program the Bee Bot to move through the pollinator garden according to the algorithm they create.

Students will investigate ways people around the world change the environments where honeybees live to make it harder for honeybees to meet their needs. Students will also be exposed to ways people participate globally in activities that have a positive impact on honeybees' environment. Independently and as class students will determine ways they can help honeybees in the local community. Students will make plans independently and as a class to take action to alleviate a problem or aid honeybees in the community.This lesson was developed by Gisele Cauley as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

Students will understand the interdependence between humans and trees. They will read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein and then students will write on paper leaves ways that people can give to or receive from trees and contribute to a classroom "receiving tree."

Students will explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction. Students will collect, analyze, and graph data related to the weight of collected trash for several consecutive days. Students will also write letters to communicate their ideas and inform readers about their actions to reduce waste.

In this short video, join Brandon and Emily on a nature hike with Falyn from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission as they discover all kinds of plants and animals and learn a thing or two about the amazing nature of North Carolina!

Students will collect clues about what makes a "hot spot" for pests by investigating the survival needs of various potential pests. Then they will brainstorm ways to transform these spaces into "cool-for-kids" areas and ways to "green sweep" their spaces with environmentally friendly actions to protect against unwanted pests.

Students describe their experiences with beaches, compare and contrast photographs of beaches, and brainstorm how humans living near the ocean affect ocean plants and animals.

Students brainstorm how people living along coasts harm ocean animals and plants. Then they analyze specific examples and discuss ways that humans can help.

Students will differentiate between waste and litter and identify situations where trash becomes litter. Students will also discuss ways that litter can be prevented.

Students will explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction.

These supplemental student handouts are meant to be used with the unit "Human Impact on Earth." In these activities, students observe and record observations. These activities demonstrate the differences between healthy and poor soil, types of waste removal, and wasting or conserving clean water. Students will learn how people can take action to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials and resources that will help to limit human's impact on the land, water, air, and other living things in their local environment.

Students will hear and discuss the story of Johnny Appleseed, focusing on his example of stewardship and how we can follow his example. The students will then participate in a tree planting activity and learn what needs to be done to take care of the tree after planting. As a culminating activity, students will create a stamp to honor Johnny Appleseed.